Bede : He said: Do you know Greek? Are you not the Egyptian, etc.? For an Egyptian had come to Judea, who by magical art claimed prophecy for himself, gathered about thirty thousand Jews; and leading them through the desert, he came to the Mount of Olives, ready to rush from there into Jerusalem and subjugate the city for himself. But Felix anticipated his attempt, quickly meeting him with armed men. The Egyptian, having fled with a few, and others being killed, easily restrained the rash attempt. — Commentary on Acts John Chrysostom : "And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the tribune, May I speak unto thee?" In the act of being borne along up the stairs, he requests to say something to the tribune: and observe how quietly he does it. "May I speak unto thee?" he says. "Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? Art thou not then that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?" For this Egyptian was a revolutionary and seditious person. With regard to this then Paul clears himself. Observe how submissively Paul speaks to the tribune. "May I speak unto thee? Then art not thou that Egyptian?" This Egyptian, namely, was a cheat and impostor, and the devil expected to cast a cloud over the Gospel through him, and implicate both Christ and His Apostles in the charges pertaining to those impostors: but he prevailed nothing, nay the truth became even more brilliant, being nothing defeated by the machinations of the devil, nay rather shining forth all the more. Since if there had not been impostors, and then these Christ and His Apostles had prevailed, perhaps some one might have laid hold upon this: but when those impostors did actually appear, this is the wonder. "In order," says the Apostle, "that they which are approved may be made manifest." And Gamaliel says, "Before these days stood up Theudas." Then let us not grieve that heresies exist, seeing that false Christs wished to attack even Christ both before this and after; with a view to throw Him into the shade, but on every occasion we find the truth shining out transparent. — Homily on Acts 46